3.5 Off to a Good Start Stars!

Now I’ve only read one other Jennifer Cody book, and it was silly and ridiculous. Here, I was pleasantly surprised as we follow the half orc Berklak, and he’s definitely not like the others. In this AU, orcs are given a wide berth but they’re the best type of mercenaries, violent and efficient and apparently, known as very skilled lovers as well. Berklak has the distinction of being a self made orc, “licensed” from several guilds and certified in many skills, able to use his money to sponsor those less fortunate members of society in a well paying trade. When Berklak notices strange violent things afoot on his travels, he knows some dark magic is at work and he’s more than willing to offer up his services.

Enter Prince Lawton, shunned by family and society because he’s a necromancer but powerful enough to still be Sorcerer of Highest Regard for the realm, he too has noticed an insidious magic saturating the kingdom. When his path crosses with Berklak’s they decide to team up on a fact finding adventure, and Lawton is only too pleased to spend time with someone who doesn’t fear or hate him.

This is like a crossover of every fantasy trope, situation, and creature out there. As recently evidenced, I don’t have the best of luck with serials, but I’m hopeful with this story. This first chapter of supposedly 5 installments sets the stage for the upcoming adventure, and I’m going to shortly check out the second that was just released!